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Boarding the [Thor], Arthur thought for a moment and decided to go and get Myskina Acier now. An insignificant little matter like this could easily be forgotten.

In fact, finding the anglerfish was quite easy. He could even wait for it to deliver itself to his doorstep, provided he had Pure Gold in his hand.

Arthur acted immediately, jumping directly into the sea and removing the silver mineral that concealed the golden light of his Pure Gold bracelet.

A dazzling light spread wantonly, so brilliant that at close range it could even obscure the radiance of the sun.

No matter how many times he saw this object, it still felt incredible.

Who knew what kind of information was contained within the Pure Gold, that it could be received by the anglerfish, its attraction as powerful as a drug to an addict.

One day, two days—

After waiting for a full three days, just as Arthur was about to lose his patience, the massive figure of the anglerfish finally appeared in the undercurrents of the sea.

The lantern on its head, made entirely of Pure Gold, dyed the dark seabed a brilliant yellow.

The only way to enter its body was to be swallowed by it, but... Arthur had another way.

He shot up from the seabed to the surface, the Pure Gold on his wrist attracting the anglerfish to pursue him relentlessly.

"SPLASH~"

The waves crashed as Arthur and the anglerfish burst out of the sea almost simultaneously.

"An object like Pure Gold is not something a beast like you is worthy of possessing!" Arthur said coldly, lightning instantly flashing in his hand.

The coiling purple lightning formed a giant longsword, which he viciously slashed at the lantern connected to its forehead.

"ROOOOAR~"

The intense pain stimulated the fish, causing it to roll frantically on the surface of the water. Arthur slashed again, directly splitting the lantern open, revealing all the Pure Gold that had been accumulated since ancient times.

It was dazzlingly brilliant. Even the sun paled in comparison to this super-giant piece of Pure Gold.

The massive volume, comparable to a house, was all collected by Arthur into his Pure Gold storage bracelet, occupying a full fifth of its space.

At this point, all the Pure Gold in the entire world had been gathered by Arthur alone.

While the anglerfish was still rolling—the lightning longsword once again swung down fiercely. The body, larger than an island, was instantly cut by the sharp lightning blade—leaving a giant gash that stretched for several thousand meters.

Besides being swallowed, another way to enter the anglerfish's body was to break in from the outside.

Even with its astonishingly tenacious life force, the great fish, having suffered such a fatal blow, couldn't hold on and fainted.

Arthur drilled through the gash and descended directly into the anglerfish's terrifying great stomach.

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At this time, in the first stomach.

The anglerfish's thrashing due to the pain had caused the island within its stomach to be turned upside down.

Myskina and his daughter were bewildered, not knowing why Bonbori was going crazy. On the island where they lived, the trees had been completely corroded by the sulfuric-acid-like stomach fluids.

"What's happening?"

"Is Bonbori fighting with other Sea Kings??"

Their faces were full of question marks as they voiced their doubts.

Just then, a current of electricity swiftly appeared in the first stomach. The powerful electric field instantly combined to form Arthur's figure.

After several years, Arthur's appearance hadn't changed at all. He was still as indifferent, his domineering nature clear for all to see.

"Acier, do you remember our promise?"

"You are... Arthur?" Myskina Acier was first startled, then his expression turned to one of wild joy.

His daughter, Olga, had contracted the incurable South Blue Emperor Fever. Arthur had told him back then that after two hundred years, a specific cure for this disease had been successfully developed.

For several years, he had been waiting for news. Today, could he finally leave this place where he had been trapped for two hundred years?

"You haven't forgotten our promise from two years ago, have you? Let's go. There's a project in the outside world that needs your help."

Arthur didn't waste words. He grabbed Acier and Olga and rushed out of the stomach of the gradually dying anglerfish.

Returning to Punk Hazard, he brought the father and daughter into Vegapunk's laboratory.

After a few brief instructions, Arthur boarded the [Thor] alone, switched from flight mode to sailing mode, and began his journey from the New World back to the first half of the Grand Line.

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The entrance to the New World, ten thousand meters under the sea—Fish-Man Island.

This was an island that all pirates had to pass through to enter the New World. The Marines could borrow a path from the World Government and climb the Red Line, but pirates could only advance from here.

The geographical location of Fish-Man Island was very special. Without this island, pirates would no longer be able to chase their dreams.

Ever since Roger had ignited the new era, the pirates who had flocked to the sea had pillaged and plundered, committing every evil deed imaginable.

All sorts of criminal activities had already spread to this island.

Among slaves, the value of fish-men and mermaids was almost at the pinnacle. The pirates who had set out to sea for wealth had all had ideas about the fish-man race on this island.

A while ago, Whitebeard had planted his flag on Fish-Man Island. With the protection of the World's Strongest Man, the human traffickers had finally restrained themselves a little.

"Whitebeard occupied Fish-Man Island ahead of schedule..." Arthur remarked.

Even if the inertia of history could not be changed, and the tide of the era rolled forward, under the general trend, history still had some minor changes.

However, no matter how it changed, Arthur didn't care. Only the unknown could arouse a person's interest.

He disembarked from the [Thor]. This was his second time landing on this island, and his mood was completely different from the last.

The last time, Arthur was in a hurry to enter the New World, so he didn't have a good look around. But this time—he was one of the four emperors at the pinnacle of the New World. The one thing he didn't lack was time.

Wearing a wide-brimmed hat, a blue greatcoat, and a white shirt half-open to reveal his steel-hard chest—Arthur pressed down the brim of his hat and leisurely entered a fish-man restaurant.

The crowded restaurant was filled with pirates from all over the world.

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"Hey, have you heard? In the New World, the Thunder God Pirates, the Beasts Pirates, and the Big Mom Pirates are at war. The friction is constant."

"What's that? As long as those three Emperors don't personally make a move, it's all just small skirmishes."

"The most terrifying ones are the new pirates, right? Tyrant Kuma, Doflamingo, Crocodile, and Hawk-Eye Mihawk?"

"It'll be a good show when they enter the New World. Will they continue their momentum, or will they be crushed and absorbed~"

"What are you all thinking about? Beings of that level are not for us to discuss. The most urgent thing is to finish this meal and go catch some mermaids to auction at the Sabaody Archipelago. The price of mermaids has gone up again!"

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

"..." This group of pirates was openly discussing capturing mermaids right in front of the fish-man restaurant owner, who could only seethe in silent rage.

The Great Age of Pirates, for civilians, was a scary, hellish name.

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